|
Susan
Mangatal -
susan@ariousentertainment.us
Black History Month.
- A time to celebrate,
acknowledge, honor and memorialize our leaders, inventors,
discoverers, athletics, and even entertainers, business owners and
politicians who have made exceptional accomplishments and
contributions throughout our history.
 This
week for Black History we honor Eric H. Holder, Jr. - President
Barack Obama's Attorney General.
Eric H. Holder Jr. was born in 1951 and raised in a
working-class section of Queens, New York. His parents had both
emigrated from Barbados. Through a scholarship he was accepted
into the academically elite at Stuyvesant High School in
Manhattan, and after graduation he enrolled at Columbia University
where he majored in American history, earning top grade and
receiving a B.A. in 1973 and a J.D. in 1976
Mr. Holder received his bachelor's degree in 1973, and
immediately was accepted into Columbia's law school. When he
graduated from that institution in 1976, he decided to join the
Department of Justice. Therefore, in 1976 he began is career
with the DOJ's relatively new division - the Public
Integrity Section/Unit, where he served twelve years,
investigating federal corruption. In 1988, President Ronald
Reagan nominated Holder to be an associate judge of the Superior
Court of the District of Columbia, a post he filled for five years
until. In 1993 President William Clinton appointed Mr.
Holder to the position of U.S. Attorney for the
District of Columbia, and in 1997 President Clinton nominated
Mr. Holder to be the next Deputy Attorney General under
Janet Reno (the nomination was confirmed several months later by
the Senate). The first African American to serve in this
post.
As Deputy Attorney General, Holder was, along with Jack Quinn,
drawn into controversy surrounding President Clinton's pardon of
fugitive Marc Rich. Holder gave a "neutral, leaning towards
favorable" opinion of the pardon to Clinton, which led to the
pardoning of Rich on Clinton's last day in office.
Holder served as Acting Attorney General under President George
W. Bush for several weeks until the Senate confirmed Bush's
nominee, John Ashcroft.
Since 2001, Holder has worked as an attorney at Covington &
Burling in Washington, D.C. In 2004, Holder helped negotiate
an agreement with the Justice Department for Chiquita Brands
International in a case that involved Chiquita's payment of
"protection money" to the United Self-Defense Forces of
Colombia, a paramilitary group that has been designated a
terrorist group by the United States government. In the agreement,
Chiquita's officials pleaded guilty and paid a fine of $25
million. Holder represents Chiquita in the civil action
which grew out of this criminal case.
In late 2007, Holder joined Senator Barack Obama's presidential
campaign as a senior legal advisor. He served on Obama's vice
presidential selection committee.
In June 2008, Holder was considered to be a leading candidate
for Attorney General under an Obama Administration.
On November 18, 2008, then President-elect Barack Obama
selected Eric Holder, Jr. as his Attorney General. On
January 15th at Mr. Holder's confirmation hearing he pledged to
use all available tactics "within
the letter and spirit" of the U.S. Constitution to defeat
enemies of the United States. Mr. Holder said "Adherence to
the rule of law strengthens security by depriving terrorist
organizations of their prime recruiting tools,"
 On
February 2, 2009, the U.S. Senate confirmed Mr. Holder's
appointment as Attorney General of the United States, making him
the first African-American to head the Justice Department in the
Obama Administration. Mr. Holder's ascension to the
Cabinet will follow the paths of General Colin Powell, who served
as Secretary of State in the administration of George W. Bush, and
Condoleezza Rice, Powell's successor at State under President
Bush, as prominent African-American members of a presidential
cabinet.
Attorney General Holder is married to Sharon Malone (an
obstetrician); and they have one daughter, Maya, who was born in
1993.
A few days ago on February 18th, 2009, for Black
History Month Attorney General Holder made an exceptional
and powerful speech on Race at the Department of Justice African
American History Month Program in Washington DC. "...U.S.
Remains a 'Nation of Cowards' When It Comes to Race Relations..."
 Click
on the picture to the left to watch/hear Attorney General Eric H.
Holder Jr. words. Courtesy of MSNBC.
"Though this nation has
proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things
racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways,
essentially a nation of cowards. Though race related issues
continue to occupy a significant portion of our political
discussion, and though there remain many unresolved racial issues
in this nation, we, average Americans, simply do not talk enough
with each other about race. It is an issue we have never been at
ease with and given our nations history this is in some ways
understandable"
Continue celebrating Black
History Month!
Monday,
February 23rd, 2009, will make it one year since we lost a friend,
actor entertainer-dancehall artist, and producer to
violence. Please keep in your thoughts Mr. Alton Ashman
"Rraw Dawg".
 "Rraw
Dawg" was selfishly and violently taken away at the beginning
of his exciting career and far too soon. His murder is still
unsolved unfortunately! Nevertheless, please keep "Rraw
Dawg" in your thoughts. "Rraw Dawg" was a
dancehall artist and actor from our area and was a member of the
popular "Alliance" which is headed up by popular
dancehall artist Bounty Killa ("The Alliance agency is known
for its outstanding work in booking, promotions and production,
and has over the years guided the careers of some of dancehalls
most prominent recording artists such as Wayne Marshall, Movado,
Busy Signal and many others.") You
will find more details about "Rraw Dawg" on his myspace
memorial site: www.myspace.com/rrawdawg1
We
send our condolences to the family and friends of Marc Stewart,
President and CEO of Atlanta's Island Coast Entertainment.
Mr. Stewart was confirmed dead on February 15th after being
reported missing since February 11th. Mr. Steward is
credited with producing some of the most successful Soca, Hip-Hop
and R&B events in Atlanta, the Caribbean, and Europe through
his marketing and promotions firm. He was instrumental in hosting
such acts as Elephant Man, Beenie Man, Beres Hammond, Eddie
Griffin and comedian Earthquake. Mr. Stewart's family
released the following statement: "It is with great
sadness that we now lay our son to rest. Marc is loved and
respected by many in and out of the Caribbean community. He is a
beloved son, father, friend and businessman who was known
throughout the Atlanta community as hardworking, trustworthy and
dedicated. His charm and professionalism captured the attention of
many supporters, and the firm footprint he left behind will not
easily fade away." For more details about Mr.
Stewart and his funeral arrangements log on to: http://www.marcstewartmemorial.com/
This
weekend is all about the music we love so dearly and
Carnival.
 One
of our favorite artist will be performing at a Black
History celebration that will be taking place on Friday,
February 20th. The Legendary Reggae Singer Freddy McGregor
will be in town performing in Bladensburg, Maryland at Crossroads
Club. Mr. McGregor is an excellent Reggae Singer who
has been singing for decades. His music is positive, smooth
and magnificent. For all the details on
this show CLICK HERE
and to learn more about Freddy CLICK
HERE!
Another
exciting artist who will be performing in Baltimore Maryland on
Sunday,
February 22nd is Grammy Award Winner, British singer, songwriter
and producer - ESTELLE!
Clearly, Estelle has been
very influenced by Reggae Music and her singing and style are
awesome. Her "Come Over" single with Reggae
Superstar Star Sean Paul is blowing up the charts and airwaves
across the world. Estelle is celebrating the winning of her
first Grammy for her hit tune "American Boy" featuring
Kanye West is on tour across America. She is supporting her
US debut CD entitled "Shine" which made the top 40 on
the Billboard 200 Charts and which spawned her
"American Boy" hit. "Shine" is
the premiere release from John Legend's Homeschool Records
label, a partnership with Atlantic Records. Executive produced by
Legend and Atlantic chief Craig Kallman, the album features
production from an array of studio pros, including Mark Ronson,
Wyclef Jean, Swizz Beatz, will.i.am and Supa Dups. Special guests
joining Estelle in front of the mic include Legend, Sean Paul, Cee-Lo
and acclaimed Canadian dancehall/hip-hop MC Kardinal Offishall.
 Estelle
won the 2009 Grammy this month for Best Rap/Song
Collaboration for her hit "American Boy", and the
platinum-selling single have also collected honors including the
BET J Virtual Award for Song of the Year, a World Music Award for
World's Best New R&B Act, an Urban Music Award for Best
Collaboration, an O2 Silver Clef Award for Download of the Year,
and a pair of MOBO Awards for Best UK Female and Best Song.
 Estelle
will be performing at Rams Head Live in Baltimore Maryland on
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009. To
learn more about Estelle and to check out her great music,
performance and singing - take a look at one of her videos by CLICKING
HERE and/or her MySpage
Page by CLICKING HERE.
Her North American tour begins this weekend, so check out her
schedule on her Page, and be sure to check out this versatile
British Star when she comes to your city.
 
The famous Trinidad Carnival
takes place this weekend, as well as Carnivals around the
world. Carnival is extremely hypnotic and truly a wonderful
experience. To many it's simply magical, a time when many
forget their troubles, cast away all their inhibitions and loose
themselves in the euphoria of the festival and celebrations.
As a child and young adult
growing up in Trinidad, for me it was a season full of excitement,
the soca and calypso music, the sweet steel pan music, the mas
(costumes), the fetes (parties), the feeling of freedom and a time
where many say "forget all your troubles and just have
fun".
Carnival itself "The
Greatest Show on Earth" as we call it, is a festival that is
approximately 170 years old, which was originated in the clash and
mesh of African and French cultures on the 18th century sugarcane
plantations of the West Indies. The history states
(briefly): the French-Creole planters spent the two months between
Christmas and the day before Lent indulging in life's pleasures,
then covered themselves in ash and repented for their sins when
the 40 days of lent began...African, emancipated from slavery in
1838, used carnival rituals to commemorate their sufferings on the
plantations and at the same time lampooned the lifestyle of their
former masters through costumed characters. Which has been
well preserved throughout the years.
Some important highlights of
Carnival is as follows: Steel Pan competitions, Calypso and Soca
artist Competing for certain titles (Soca Monarch, Calypso King,
queen and even Jr, king and queen, etc.), and the climax begins on
the Sunday night before carnival with the "Dimanche
Gras", which is where judges choose a king and queen of
the masqueraders in an open air stage at Queen's Park Savannah in
Port of Spain. Each competitor's costume must convey the
theme of their bands, and they must demonstrate their technical
prowess in handling the costumes. Judges also look for
the technical expertise in designing and arranging the costumes.
For many there is no time for
sleep, so after the Dimanche Gras many attend fetes and lime (hang
out) at different events or even on the streets during the entire
night until morning as "J'Ouvert" Morning
approaches. J'Ouvert (opening day), the
festival begins with a reenactment of the "Canboulay"
(meaning burning cane) which history states: were riots that took
place in 1881, when British colonial soldiers were beaten back
with sticks and stoned by African masqueraders for attempting to
stop them from taking part in Carnival. During the early
hours in the dark of J'Ouvert masqueraders take the form of huge
bands of revelers, liberally daubed in mud, black oil, different
colors of paint (blue is most popular), powder and even chocolate
(which is very popular now-a-days). Many wear costumes or
make themselves up to look like caricatures of notable figures and
even devils, just drinking, reveling and partying in the streets
throughout the early morning on the Monday of Carnival "Carnival
Monday). This is an important time for Steel bands, many
of the bands consists of steel pan musicians, beating and playing
their steel pans.
The "fete-ing"
continues throughout the night and it carries through to the big
explosion of Carnival that takes place the next day "Carnival
Tuesday". The color and spectacle of the creativity
from costume designers is exposed on this day. Thousands of
masqueraders assemble at designated spots around the city adorned
in their beautiful costumes dancing to the latest soca
compositions pumping thunderously by DJs on huge trucks,
that head to the contest on the savannah stage. Once they
arrive, the tens of thousands of men, women and children cross the
vast savannah stage moving to seductive and rhythmic soca music
showing off their costumes. Note: Masquerading also
takes place in many cities across the Island.
The celebrations promptly
ends at midnight on Tuesday, and the next day rings an astonishing
return to normalcy. You will find many visitors and locals
the next day (Ash Wednesday) converging on to numerous
beaches to chill out and relax before they go back to their daily
routine, while you will find many thousands making their way to
Catholic Churches to have their sins absolved with promises
to be good throughout the rest of the year (at least until
Carnival the very next year).
Me trying to give you a
glimpse of this event/festival/celebration from a more historical
perspective simply does not explain the excitement and fun taking
place on this small rich island. Just imagine the entire
island at a party...a huge street party, where everyone simply
forgets about their daily troubles, they are drinking, eating,
dancing and being consumed by music all around them. When
one party or event ends you are making arrangements to attend
another. For the locals the partying begins right after
Christmas (now-a-days it begins before Christmas), and continues
for months and finally climaxes on the Sunday before Ash
Wednesday. It explodes on the Monday and Tuesday (before the
day lent begins - Ash Wednesday); with masqueraders parading
through the streets and even folks who are not in costumes, just
dancing and partying at this huge street party. At times it
is unimaginable for many, but it's truly the best relief from the
hard day to day stressful life for the tens of of thousands who
converge on to the island from around the world. Everyone
must try to get to Trinidad to experience Carnival!!!
  First
there was My Space, then Facebook came along, and now we have My
Caribbean!
 My
Caribbean
A
Brand New Social exciting Network especially for the Caribbean,
and for those who are interested in, and love everything
Caribbean.
Join now by clicking on the
following logo or link
www.mycaribbean.us
Log On and check
it out, it's absolutely free.
Build your
own page on
the network and
build a network
of friends!
Add
your videos, photos,
events and favorite music!
Write Blogs,
participate in Forums
and Chat!
Plus
Much More!
If you have been
a member of My-space or Facebook, and you are interested in things
Caribbean, you will love MyCaribbean.
Log on and check
out some of the hottest Caribbean Music Videos on the "Video
Page"
Log on to www.mycaribbean.us
and Make it yours
Join us and help
make MyCaribbean all it can be!
~Make
It Yours~
 www.MyCaribbean.uS
  Thanks
to the many who have sent me e-mails in response to my past
E-Newsletters and lots of important information to use for our
future E-Newsletters. Most importantly, I thank you for your
encouraging words! Until next week...please enjoy, and be
safe this weekend and the upcoming week!!
Click on any of the below companies to
purchase your needed valentine's products, services and gifts,
especially the flowers link.
 
 
   
Also to all of you, thanks for reading, sharing
your thoughts and comments with us, and for always supporting
us. As you know without you there would be no us, so thanks
very much for your support and One Love!
For All other Inaugural Events
Go To Our "Events"
Page
Check out our "Featured
Events" listed below.
Also, there are several events
taking place in Trinidad for Carnival, so to view all
the Events please log on to our "Events" Page above!
|
February
22, 2009
Trinidad
Southern
Connection
Cordially
Invite you to
Eye-Spy
The
most Lavish All-Inclusive Party
(Carnival Sunday)
San
Fernando Hill, Circular road, San Fernando, Trinidad
4pm
to 12am
TOP SHELF OPEN
BAR, INTERNATIONAL MENU, LIVE ENTERTAINMENT, TRAFFIK, JMC
3 VENI, IWER GEORGE, SIPARIA RHYTHM SECTION, JOY
PRODUCTION & MAD MAN MADDY.
Admission - $500.00 TT / $83.00 US
Contact Info: 917 488-4153 / 347 200-7784 / 868
768-1247
Event Type: all-inclusive,
party
|
|
February
22, 2009
Baltimore,
Maryland
Estelle
Live In
Concert
@
Rams Head Live in
Baltimore, Maryland
|
|
February
23 & 24, 2009
Trinidad,
West Indies
Join
"Just Friends" for
Trinidad's Carnival 2009
Play Mas with "Just
Friends" as they portray Sailors this Carnival
"JUST
FRIENDS" IS A FUN ALL INCLUSIVE BAND FOR TRINIDAD
CARNIVAL, FEB 23rd & 24th.
FOR
MORE INFO VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT www.justfriendstt.com
|
|
Web
Hosting
or Click Here
Special
belated Birthday Greetings are sent to Jo-Ann
West from New Jersey (2/15/09) &
birthday greetings to 
